IBM Cloud Global

Managing your cloud infrastructure can feel like juggling flaming swords—exciting but a little dangerous if something slips!

Luckily, Python is here to save the day with scripts that turn those flaming swords into, well, neatly stacked plates.

In this blog, we’ll dive into how you can use Python to easily:

•⁠  ⁠List all your VPCs (because knowing what you have is half the battle).
•⁠  ⁠Check the status of a specific load balancer (because nobody likes nasty surprises).

Whether you’re a seasoned cloud warrior or just starting out, this guide will have you managing VPC load balancers like a pro.

Why Automate VPC Load Balancer Management?

Imagine this: You’re sipping your coffee, and suddenly you get a ping. A load balancer might be acting up. You dive into the console, navigate menus, click buttons, and… you’ve wasted 15 minutes just getting to the right screen. Python can help you skip the hassle with scripts that give you answers faster than you can say “virtual private cloud.”

Note: If you have a Cloud Load Balancer and wondering if you can have same for that too, do not worry!
Check this out:
https://community.ibm.com/community/user/cloud/blogs/lavisha-bhatia/2024/11/18/ibm-cloud-load-balancer-management

Here’s how you can use Python to fetch a tidy list of all your Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs):

from ibm_cloud_sdk_core.authenticators import IAMAuthenticator
from ibm_vpc import VpcV1
import logging
import os


api_key = os.getenv("api_key")
# You may set the region using below command or go with the below lines to choose the region every-time
# region = os.getenv("region")

# List of datacenters
datacenters = [
    "us-south", "us-east", "br-sao", "ca-tor",
    "eu-es", "eu-de", "eu-gb", "au-syd",
    "jp-tok", "jp-osa", "in-che"
]

# Display options to the user
print("Please choose the region from below:")
for i, region in enumerate(datacenters, start=1):
    print(f"{i}. {region}")

# Ask the user to choose a region by number
choice = int(input("Enter the number of your choice: "))

# Validate and display the user's choice
if 1 <= choice <= len(datacenters):
    selected_region = datacenters[choice - 1]
    print(f"You chose: {selected_region}")
else:
    print("Invalid choice. Please enter a number between 1 and 10.")


# Set logging level to WARNING to suppress debug logs
logging.basicConfig(level=logging.WARNING)


# Set specific loggers to WARNING to suppress debug logs
logging.getLogger('ibm-cloud-sdk-core').setLevel(logging.WARNING)
logging.getLogger('urllib3').setLevel(logging.WARNING)


# Authenticate with IBM Cloud
authenticator = IAMAuthenticator(api_key)
vpc_service = VpcV1(authenticator=authenticator)



# Set the IBM Cloud region

vpc_service.set_service_url(f'https://{selected_region}.iaas.cloud.ibm.com/v1')

def list_load_balancers():
    load_balancers = vpc_service.list_load_balancers().get_result()
    for lb in load_balancers['load_balancers']:
        print(f"Load Balancer ID: {lb['id']}, Name: {lb['name']}, Status: {lb['provisioning_status']}")

list_load_balancers()

 ⁠Usage Example:

You need to provide API key and the region to the code. Once its done, you just need to run command : <python3 List_VPC_LBs.py> (assuming that above code file name is "List_VPC_LBs.py"). 

Sample Output:

Please choose the region from below:
1. us-south
2. us-east
3. br-sao
4. ca-tor
5. eu-es
6. eu-de
7. eu-gb
8. au-syd
9. jp-tok
10. jp-osa
11. in-che
Enter the number of your choice: 1
You chose: us-south
Load Balancer ID: abcd-efighjk-lmno-1234-8def-6sde16pup, Name: test-alb1, Status: active
Load Balancer ID: efgh-efighjk-lmno-1234-8def-6sde16pup, Name: test-alb2, Status: active
Load Balancer ID: lmnop-efighjk-lmno-1234-8def-6sde16pup, Name: test-alb3, Status: active

This script connects to IBM’s VPC API and fetches all your VPCs, complete with their names, IDs and status. No more hunting through your cloud console—everything’s right there in your terminal.

Once you have your VPCs sorted, it’s time to dig deeper and check the status of a load balancer. Here’s how:

from ibm_cloud_sdk_core.authenticators import IAMAuthenticator
from ibm_vpc import VpcV1
import logging


# Set your API key
api_key = 'xpG6JAyBNddbdCPUW_jQU0p7IEbToGonfPNHuDCeFXCI'

# Set logging level to WARNING to suppress debug logs
logging.basicConfig(level=logging.WARNING)


# Set specific loggers to WARNING to suppress debug logs
logging.getLogger('ibm-cloud-sdk-core').setLevel(logging.WARNING)
logging.getLogger('urllib3').setLevel(logging.WARNING)


# Authenticate with IBM Cloud
authenticator = IAMAuthenticator(api_key)
vpc_service = VpcV1(authenticator=authenticator)


# Set the IBM Cloud region
vpc_service.set_service_url('https://us-south.iaas.cloud.ibm.com/v1')


def get_load_balancer_status(load_balancer_id):

    try:
        # Fetch load balancer details
        response = vpc_service.get_load_balancer(load_balancer_id)
    
        # Extract load balancer data from response
        load_balancer = response.get_result()

        print(f"Load Balancer ID: {load_balancer['id']}")
        print(f"Name: {load_balancer['hostname']}")
        print(f"Operating Status: {load_balancer['operating_status']}")
        print(f"Provisioning Status: {load_balancer['provisioning_status']}")
        
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Failed to retrieve load balancer status: {e}")
        return None

load_balancer_id = 'LB_UUID'
get_load_balancer_status(load_balancer_id)

 ⁠

Usage Example:

Same as above, you need to provide API key, region and the LB UUID to the code. Once its done, you just need to run command : <python3 List_VPC_LB_status.py> (assuming that above code file name is "List_VPC_LB_status.py"). 

Sample Output:

Load Balancer ID: s1234-abafcd-1234-abcdefg
Name: 328fe58a-us-south.lb.appdomain.cloud
Operating Status: online
Provisioning Status: active

This snippet pulls up the details of a specific load balancer, letting you check its operating status in seconds.

Is it healthy? Degraded? You’ll know instantly.

By automating these tasks, you’re freeing up valuable time to focus on strategic initiatives instead of mundane maintenance. Plus, it reduces human error. Forget a click? Misread a menu? Not anymore—Python’s got your back.

With just a few lines of Python, you’ve turned a potentially chaotic task into something smooth and efficient. From listing VPCs to checking load balancer statuses, these scripts are your secret weapons for cloud management.

And the best part? You can keep building on this foundation, adding more automation as your needs grow.

Ready to transform the way you manage your cloud? Fire up your editor, run these scripts, and let Python take care of the heavy lifting.

Let us know how it works for you or share your own Python cloud hacks in the comments below—we’re all ears!